1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of decanting a liquid present in a first container into an empty bottle. In particular, the present invention provides a device for recharging a liquid product, such as a perfume.
The present invention also provides the use of such a recharging device for filling a bottle from another, so-called recharging bottle.
2. Description of the Related
ArtA number of products are sold in bottles having a luxurious character. These bottles have numerous aesthetic motifs that are relatively difficult to manufacture, for example, and may moreover be produced in noble materials, thus increasing their cost. The luxurious character of a bottle adds value to the contents, which are also costly, and enhances the image of the product. This is the case with perfume bottles in particular. Accordingly, the use of a refilling bottle of less value than the product it contains makes it possible to refill and to reuse a luxurious bottle which, because of its quality, is generally perceived as a non-disposable object.
It may also be useful to decant a product from a relatively basic bottle (refill) into a more luxurious bottle or one that is more presentable in order to address an environmental concern, for example if the refill can be recycled, or to address economic concerns.
Perfume bottles are typically constituted of a container having a threaded neck onto which a spray head is screwed. Similarly, refill bottles generally comprise a container having a threaded neck onto which a threaded stopper is screwed.
A simple way recharge or fill an empty perfume bottle is to unscrew the atomizer head and to decant the contents of the refill manually, after unscrewing the stopper.
This has drawbacks, however. Given that the neck of said refillable dispenser is typically small, some manual skill or dexterity is required to effect the decanting or transfer of perfume from a refill bottle to the perfume bottle. Except for the highly skilled person, the usual consequences of decanting are on the one hand a loss of the product contained in the refill, often a costly perfume, and on the other hand a risk of soiling of the clothes or hands, with the attendant risk of the tenacious or durable odour associated with such an operation, the product or perfume having been able to spill and impregnate a fabric.
In the prior art, in addition to manual decanting, there are also known devices in the form of funnels. A funnel is a conical instrument, terminated by a tube, that is used to pour not only a liquid, but also a powder, a granulate or a paste, for example into a container with a smaller opening. The funnel is generally in glass, plastic or metal.
The documents GB 2 396 318, JP 2007/182255 and JP2004/306982 describe improved funnels. For example, the first document describes a funnel device including flotation means for blocking the cone of the funnel in order to prevent the product overflowing during decanting.
However, with such funnel devices, the user may be splashed by drops of the product to be recharged during decanting, the consequence of which is to cause loss of product and soiling of the user.
The document FR 2 867 761 describes a device for recharging a container provided with a threaded neck comprising: a) a first container intended to contain a product to be transferred into the second container, b) cooperation means intended to connect said first and second containers, c) means for shutting off the second container, and d) means for transferring the product contained in the first container to the second container. This device enables the transfer from a full (refill) bottle to an empty bottle to be filled with the same capacity as the refill. Thus if liquid remains in the bottle to be filled, the refill cannot be completely emptied into the bottle. Consequently, on uncoupling the refill from the bottle, the liquid still present in the refill will overflow, which will lead to losses.